TIVERTON — There was no good reason for three young men with flashlights to be inspecting parked cars in the early morning hours of Tuesday.

That means there must be a bad reason for that behavior, police say.

Officers quickly learned what that was.

Two adults and one juvenile were arrested at 1:03 a.m. Tuesday by officers who were called in by an attentive neighborhood resident, police say.

“A complainant called to report he saw a vehicle pull up on the street and three men got out with flashlights,” said Police Capt. Patrick Jones, a department spokesman. “He said he saw them looking into parked cars.”

Lt. Timothy Panell was on the road when the call came in. He told Officers Michael Barboza and Luis Farias to approach without flashing lights or sirens and to park in a spot where they could see without being seen, police report.

“They found the car the men arrived in,” Jones reported. “They took a stationary post and waited. They saw the men attempt to enter two vehicles. They were able to apprehend one of the suspects immediately. The two others ran. Panell and Farias chased them and located them.”

Kyle Simons, 20, 101 Deborah Lane, Swansea, and Devin O’Loughlin, 19, 144 Mauran Ave., East Providence, Rhode Island, were both charged with six counts of larceny and with resisting arrest. A 17-year-old from Warren, Rhode Island, was charged with one count of larceny.

Police then went up and down the street, looking for cars with evidence of being broken into. Officers located 15 cars that appeared to be disturbed on Haskins Avenue and nearby Hambly Road, Jones said.

Police also recovered 47 items they believe were stolen, including iPhones, iPads, cigarettes, jewelry, GPS units, sunglasses and a host of phone chargers.

“We are looking for cars that might have been broken into and the owners of evidence we seized,” Jones said. Anyone who lost items from a car overnight is asked to call the police at 401-625-6717.

The adults arrested will face charges in district court. The juvenile will face charges in family court.